WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS CONTAINED IN REVIEW
Story - 7
Clannad is one of those series that heavily relies on the slice of life aspect. To keep it short, the story revolves around the main protagonist Tomoya Okazaki as he works through his senior year of high school. Not being much for friends himself aside from Youhei Sunohara, during one lunch period he stumbles across an unknown third-year girl - Nagisa Furukawa. From there, Nagisa expresses her wish to revive the drama club but has no volunteers to do so, in that moment Tomoya and Nagisa`s friendship stems. That is pretty much the whole briefing of the story - with the occasional progression on either characters or the department of the drama club. As there is really none of the great storytelling, that is why this subject was given a low ranking - yes, I do appreciate the relatable aspect of these characters attending school, and enduring life in between their school hours. However, at times I did find myself to be losing interest as the themes explored in the first series were vague and sometimes boring. Maybe, I`ll give it a rewatch at some point, and hopefully, by then my views on the overall first series would have changed.
Note: If you want the whole experience of Clannad: After Story, then I do suggest you watch the first series of Clannad no matter how tedious it may get at times.
Art - 8
Now, with its 2007 release the art and overall animation is considered to be a masterpiece. Yes, the animation was smooth for the time of its making, I couldn't find much to grumble at when it comes to this department. The colors and all in all design of the backgrounds and scenery really came well together to make a breathtaking scene with the characters tied to it. Yet, the ranking would have been a ten, if they didn`t lack so much in the residing factors.
World - Building - even though the animators created mainstream sets in which the story progresses across - such as the drama room, Nagisa`s family bakery, Tomoya`s home, Youhei`s school dorm, the odd changing to a different location in the school, Kotomi`s home and then this other world that is implicated throughout both the first and second series. Where these scenes play out, they are well known to the characters by the end of it all.
Characters: Whether the designs of these characters were purposefully done by the artist to fit into the anime style at the time or if they were trying to do their own style. What kept catching my eye throughout the whole of it, is how NONE of them have noses - it was peculiar to adjust to, but I looked past it. All the female characters had the tendency to look the same, aside from different hair color and eye color. Even both Tomoya and Youhei looked similar in parts in terms of hair and facial expression - the only thing separating them is their face shapes. This is why the art got given an eight since characters should have been designed to look purposefully different in order for the viewer to learn who is who through these characterizations and features.
Sound - 8
Having watched the series in the sub, the voice actors did an astounding job in conducting the indicated emotions embedded through their lines. They were all suited into their character types, however, one fault in which I couldn't really look past is how high pitched Nagisa in particular spoke - I'm unsure in whether it was the “thing” at the time of creation, but I couldn't help but think that she sounded like a prepubescent youth, no hate, it's just my personal opinion, other than that, it fitted her character increasingly well. The OSTs were enchanting and were pleasing to my ears, they were subtle and placed at the perfect times across the entirety of the series. With the opening theme, it became a classic piece, upon hearing it even a few episodes in, I automatically associated it to Clannad, exactly like the OST`s, it matched the overall theme of the show in general. Finally, with the ending theme - “Dango Family”, it became a strong aspect across both the first and second series, much like the opening theme, I could upon hearing assume it was from Clannad. Like the lighthearted atmosphere which lingers over the episodes, the “Dango Family” song ties into it perfectly - with the occasional moment where Nagisa sings it - which I soon found myself to be associating it to be her “character theme” if you will.
Character - 7
Here, I will be discussing the main duo of characters cast across the first season of Clannad in the set order - Nagisa and Tomoya. With a brief explanation of the remainder of the characters to which we were introduced in these episodes.
Nagisa Furukawa - In a simple explanation, Nagisa is a likable character - she's sweet, kindhearted, and incredibly nurturing. When it comes to her character, she's known by the stray piece of hair that sticks up in the opposite direction of the rest of it, alongside with it, her mysterious illness is also something that is associated with her. Like all of the other characters, her development and any major characterization are nonexistent. For the show being what it is, it does not prioritize the progression of these characters but solely on the story itself. These characters are there to prompt the story forward, the reason Nagisa is written into it is that she sets about the whole idealization on reviving the drama club - the main storyline of the first season, if it wasn't for Nagisa the drama club wouldn't even get a light of day ever again. Becoming a close acquaintance to Tomoya, her character is also used to bring about a change in Tomoya`s character, a catalyst to a shift in his personality if you will - setting a sudden motivation in bringing him back to school and put himself out more in terms of academic studies and extracurricular clubs.
Tomoya Okazaki - Much like Nagisa being a catalyst to being a shift in his personality, he is also a catalyst to Nagisa - he boosts her confidence enough in order to push her forward when recreating the drama club. Tomoya`s home life is meek and depressing - having to endure the daily task of stepping on eggshells around his alcoholic father and still balancing his school work, his overall view on life isn`t one to be idolized. His purpose as a character is to be a supportive member towards Nagisa and helping her bring the drama club back into the school - in the process of this, he forms a handful of new relationships with Kyou, Ryou Kotomi, and Fuko. Tomoya`s development isn`t very significant until towards the end of season one, in which he becomes more outgoing and content with his choices with the help of Nagisa.
With the remainder of the characters, in the first season, their purpose is to only provide a backstory to the two main protagonists - Nagisa and Tomoya. The odd moment prompting the progression of the story forward so we as the viewer aren`t stuck at a certain part of the story for too long. For example, Youhei is the main individual who other than Nagisa provides a sense of development for Tomoya. Truly, I believe that Youhei`s character is there for the comedic relief side of things, whilst Tomoyo, Kyou, and Ryou are there to build up the school group and bring to life the blossoming connection between Nagisa and Tomoya. Kotomi`s character highlights the importance of this “other world”, since her parents, who were renowned scientists who discovered this portal to the world in the first place; in the playing of the first series, this mysterious aspect isn`t all-important until the second where this topic becomes the key feature. Kotomi`s character is the only one that differs from the remainder of the group; Fuko`s character ties into her character with relation to the “other world” concept. Having been put into a coma due to a tragic accident, Fuko upon waking has obvious connections to this world.
Enjoyment - 7
Despite my rather low ranking, I did thoroughly enjoy the series, it was something different to watch whilst in the progress of Death Note. Other than my occasional attention drawing away from the show, I enjoyed how relatable it was as I`m of school-age myself. The characters were likable and the simple storyline was entertaining alongside it.
Overall Review - 7
In conclusion, would I recommend Clannad? To put it bluntly, yes. It is a simple enough storyline to follow along with, and something I would suggest watching before you become invested in Clannad: After Story. In that way, you would gain the full experience which the show has to offer.
Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
LAUREN
